In recent years electronic apparatus, such as cellular phones and portable personal computers (handy PCs), equipped with a camera using a solid imaging device, such as a CCD image sensor or a CMOS image sensor, has increased.
As cellular phones, handy PCs, and the like become smaller and lighter, smaller lighter semiconductor devices including solid imaging devices are needed.
Previously some proposals were offered with respect to a semiconductor device including a solid imaging device (see, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2003-197885).
An example of a conventional semiconductor device including a solid imaging device is illustrated in FIG. 40.
A semiconductor device 200 illustrated in FIG. 40 has a structure in which a solid imaging device 201 is mounted over a circuit board 202.
With the solid imaging device 201, a microlens (not illustrated) is located over a semiconductor substrate in which a light receiving region 203 including a plurality of light receiving elements (photosensors) is formed, and a glass plate 205 is located over the microlens with an adhesive 204 with a predetermined refractive index between.
Electrode terminals 206 are located outside the light receiving region 203 of the solid imaging device 201 and a wiring pattern 207 is formed over the circuit board 202.
The electrode terminals 206 of the solid imaging device 201 and the wiring pattern 207 formed over the circuit board 202 are connected by gold wires 208. The gold wires 208 and the periphery of the solid imaging device 201 are sealed with a sealing material 209.
In the above semiconductor device 200 part of the wiring pattern 207 formed over the circuit board 202 over which the solid imaging device 201 is mounted is used as external connection terminals 210. When the semiconductor device 200 is mounted over a motherboard of an electronic apparatus, the external connection terminals 210 are connected to a wiring pattern 212 formed over a motherboard 211 of the electronic apparatus.
With the above conventional semiconductor device the following problems arise.
In the semiconductor device illustrated in FIG. 40, the glass plate 205 is bonded over the light receiving region 203 of the solid imaging device 201 with the adhesive 204. In this case, an area for bonding the glass plate 205 to the solid imaging device 201 needs to be secured over the light receiving region 203 and among the light receiving region 203 and the electrode terminals 206.
That is to say, when the semiconductor device 200 is fabricated, a space occupied exclusively by the adhesive used for bonding the glass plate 205 needs to be secured among light receiving region 203 and the electrode terminals 206.
Accordingly, the size of the solid imaging device 201 used needs to meet the condition that such a space can be secured inside the electrode terminals 206.
On the other hand, if the solid imaging device 201 becomes larger, it is difficult to make a semiconductor device including the solid imaging device 201 smaller and lighter.
The same problems may arise if a structure in which a solid imaging device is located opposite a transparent plate, such as a glass plate, is adopted.